


Amalgamation

by Pchew



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Minecraft, Creeper!Gavin, Gen, Hurt Gavin, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Papa Geoff Ramsey, mentions of child abuse, mentions of child torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-17 17:52:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5880154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pchew/pseuds/Pchew
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gavin has always been close to the mobs that lived in and around Achievement City, but is it just his natural charm or something more?  It all goes back to an event nearly twenty years ago when Geoff found him being held prisoner in an old cabin by a man he simply called "the doctor".  Geoff knows what he is, but the others don't.</p><p>At least, not yet....</p><p>With the memories crashing down on him and his abilities becoming harder to hide, Gavin doesn't know how much longer his secret is going to stay a secret.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_A single torch lit the dank room, casting shadows of nightmares onto the cobblestone walls. He knew they weren’t real though, not like the one he was currently living. The doctor would be back any minute now, with the poor little green thing and a needle in tow. How long had this madman held him here? He missed Dan. He missed momma…. he missed home._

_“Gaaaaavin~ I have a present for yooouuuu~”_

_His eyes shot up. Not again. Please not again. He didn’t want to be poked and prodded and hurt again. The doctor was coming. The bad man wanted him again. He would have hid, had he the ability to make out his surroundings, but before he could figure anything out, the door burst open, the light from the hall and the dwindling torch illuminating the doctor in a terrifying glow, how ever, instead of immediately grabbing his arm like he usually did, the doctor just laughed, throwing something at his feet….something small._

_Something green._

_Something dead._

_All the poor child could do was scream as the doctor laughed harder._

Gavin bolted from his bed, chest heaving and eyes burning. He hadn’t had a nightmare about his days with the doctor in a very long time, but that didn’t stop him from remembering it. It was always there, gnawing at the back of his mind. The abuse, the experiments, but mostly, of his little green friend, a young creeper he had called Sparky. The mobling had been his only companion during years of captivity.

But the doctor had taken that too. The experiments put on both of them were too much for the smaller creature, and in all honesty Gavin was surprised he himself had survived them. He didn’t want to think about what would have happened had Geoff not found him when he did.

Geoff.

He needed to get to Geoff.

Geoff could make the nightmares go away.

Throwing off the blankets and pulling on his boots, Gavin ran out of his own home and next door to Geoff’s, quickly finding the button to let him into the large monolith. Once it opened, he ran again, learning the distance between himself and the older man in a record time, even for him.

“Geoff!” he cried, “Geoff wake up! Geoff please!”

The quicker his memories flooded his mind, the quicker Gavin became hysterical, almost screaming to get the other hunter awake. After what felt like an eternity, but what really couldn’t have been more than a minute, Geoff’s groggy blue eyes opened, as did his mouth as he prepared himself to chastise the younger man for waking him up at “dick all in the morning”. However, the second his sight landed on the frazzled youth hovering over him, he was instantly on high alert; quickly scanning the room before fully resting his eyes on Gavin, who by now had begun shaking terribly.

“Gavin. Hey, Gav, bub, it’s okay. I’m here. Calm down. Look at me, Gavin, tell me what happened,” he softly demanded, resting a hand on the other’s shoulder.

“N-nightmare. Doctor. Sparky. Geoff it hurts….”

As Gavin trailed off, Geoff felt his chest tighten. The list of things that could cause his friend this kind of distress was incredibly small, and even then nothing else compared to how Gavin was acting right now. The usually tan boy was pale as a ghost, green eyes wide and far too bright, and his lithe frame racked by tremors that were so fierce Geoff could have sworn he heard bones rattling.

Without another word, he grabbed the smaller man and pulled him onto the bed with him. He began to run a hand through Gavin’s wild hair, with the other softly rubbing his back.  
“Shhh buddy. It’s okay. He can’t get you here. I killed him, remember? It’s okay. Breathe for me, Gavino. That’s it. In one-two-three. Hold. Out four-five-six. There you go. You’re okay. I’m here. You’re okay.”

After a few tense minutes, Gavin stopped shaking, and begun sobbing quietly. He was so scared and it broke Geoff’s heart. No one deserved what Gavin had been through, least of all Gavin himself; especially at such a young age. With another soft shushing, he played the obviously exhausted man’s head on his chest and closed his own eyes. He thought back to the night he had found Gavin, so many years ago.

_He had been out hunting when he’d heard a shrill scream; one obviously belonging to a child. He didn’t hesitate to run in the direction of the noise, and as the screams got louder, more pained, he ran faster. The seasoned fighter soon came across a strange cabin, secluded in the middle of a dense forest._

_Another scream ripped through the night air, and it was obvious to Geoff that this was were it was coming from. Readying his sword, Geoff broke down the cabin’s door and carefully stepped inside, not sure what he would find there. The screams had ended by now, quieting down into pained whimpers, as if the poor soul emitting them didn’t have enough left in them to cry out anymore._

_Scanning the room, Geoff saw, far off in the corner, a ladder leading below the floors. Quietly, he made his way down, making sure to stay alert of any threat that was sure to find him. Once he reached the bottom he saw the source of the screams and cries. It was a young child, no more than seven, cowering under the raised fist of the man before him._

_Geoff saw red. He moved to shove the man out of the way, but the other heard him. He turned to face Geoff, and that’s when Geoff knew the man had to be crazy. His hair was wild and his eyes were manic, as was the grin that stretched across his face._

_“It seems we have a visitor, doesn’t it child?” he said, turning back to the little boy on the floor, “Let’s give him a show! Maybe he can be my next experiment.” The child’s face went ashen, and Geoff saw tears mix in with the look of sheer terror in his eyes._

_This motherfucker has been experimenting on this kid? Oh hell no. No no no no no. Don’t let me be too late to help him. Please gods above let me save this child, Geoff thought._

_He held his sword high, ready to save the child at any means necessary, and if that meant killing the man in front of him, that made it even better. With a strong swing, he lashed out, ready to get the fight over with, but the man dodged easily, throwing some potions from his belt. The cloud of smoke blinded Geoff momentarily, allowing his opponent a small upper hand. He felt his back become wet as he was hit with another potion, this time one meant to slow him down. They went on like this for a while—throwing and swinging at each other, before Geoff managed to land a blow, piercing the man’s stomach. He faltered, exposing where the child had hidden himself behind a lab table in the far corner, and as the man (Geoff refused to call him a scientist), struggled to stand back up, Geoff ran over and scooped the child up and made to leave the hellhole that was the basement, but the man appeared before him._

_The child in Geoff’s arms screamed again._  
_“Please,sir!” he cried, “Please don’t let him take me back! He’ll kill me, just like he did Sparky! I just want to go home! Please!”_

_As he backed away from the deranged man that was trying to grab the child, Geoff’s blue eyes scanned the room one more time, before falling on a small lump in the corner. He froze. Had this monster already killed a child?_

_“Little one, tell me, is that Sparky over there?”_

_The child nodded, eyes watering heavily, “Yes, he was my friend, even if he was a…a creeper. The doctor killed him with the experiments he did on us….”_

_A creeper? Geoff thought, still swinging the sword with his free hand, Just what the hell has this psycho been doing down here?!_

_Finally, the man fell, and didn’t get back up. Geoff sat the child down, back in hiding spot, and went to inspect the body. It seemed that in his flailing, he had sliced the man’s throat, and combined with the earlier blood loss, it had killed him instantly. He smiled to himself before kicking the corpse in the face._

_“Take that, dickcheese,” he mused, before turning back to the hiding child behind him, “Hey, it’s okay. He can’t hurt you anymore. He can’t hurt anyone anymore. I’m going to take you far away from here, alright? I’ll protect you until we get you home.”_  
_“You will?”_

_The older human nodded, “I promise. My name is Geoff. What’s yours?”_

_“Gavin. My name is Gavin….And…and I don’t have a home anymore.”_

_Geoff’s heart broke, then, “You don’t? What about your parents? You had to come from a village somewhere.”_

_Gavin bit his lip, “I did, but I don’t know where it is from here. The doctor kidnapped me late at night, and put a bag on my head so I couldn’t scream or find my way back if I escaped. He told me that. I don’t know where momma is anymore….It was so long ago.”_

_“Long ago? Gavin…how long have you been here?”_

_“I was four when he found me…”_

_Geoff was crying by now. The man on the floor in front him really had been a monster. Who would do such a thing to a child so young? He kicked the corpse again just for good measure._

_The pair left after that, with Gavin insisting that they bury his friend properly. Geoff was cautious at first, knowing that even postmortem creepers could still explode, but Gavin ran up to the small body, seemingly knowing that it wouldn’t literally blow up in his face, and placed a small hand on the creature’s head._

_“Please, Geoff. He was little too. He never got to say goodbye to his momma. He deserves something better. Please.”_

_Wilting, Geoff nodded, “Alright, buddy, I don’t live far from here. We can bury him in my yard so that you can visit whenever you want. How does that sound?”_

_“I’m gonna stay with you? That’s okay? Even after what the doctor did to me?”_

_“I refuse to let a child fend for himself. You’re very young, aren’t you Gavin? And if you don’t have a parent anymore, I’ll be your parent. You don’t have to call me dad, but I’ll do everything else a parent does if you let me. As for what ‘the doctor’ did to you, we’ll talk about that later. Right now, I need to get you out of here. My house isn’t far. And it’s really big. You won’t be in the way.”_

_Gavin’s eyes lit up, and as they walked, he spoke about himself, his village, his mother, his friends, but he also asked Geoff about his own life. He learned the man lived alone, having left his own town center to explore the world around them, and that he liked to play games._

_“Games?! What kind of games?” Gavin had asked._

_“Well, it’s hard to play them by myself, so mostly all my games are ideas. But now that your’e here, we can play together!”_

_“I would like that a lot, Geoff.”_

As the memories faded, Geoff looked over to where Gavin now lay, sleeping peacefully. He took in the younger man’s face, taking in how he had matured over the years. It had been almost twenty years since he’d found the lad, and in that time he’d come a long way. Gavin had learned to trust older men again, and eventually opened up to Geoff about what happened. Apparently the doctor had been researching mobs and wanted to see if their “special properties” could be transferred to humans. He had been from Gavin’s village, and thought that the boy’s impeccable energy would be compatible with the explosive nature of creepers.

Geoff didn’t ask for much explanation beyond that.

Over the years Gavin’s trust extended even further than Geoff. Because his home was so large, it was easy to spot for miles in almost every direction, and travelers often used it as a landmark. Most would just pass on by, but a select few, like Gavin, saw the monolith as a beacon of hope and decided to stay in the area. That’s how Michael, Ray, Ryan and Jack all came to join them and create a small community. Each man had their own backstory, with their own dramas and heartaches, but it was a rule that other than a few important details that could explain certain behaviors, asking about pasts was incredibly off limits unless prompted by the other person.

Sighing, Geoff cast one last glance at his charge, still smiling proudly at the man he had become (even if that man was sometimes insanely annoying), and pulled him close.

Grown or not, he still had that promise to keep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. That was a thing. I don't know when it'll get updated, but I started this fic a loooooong time ago and decided that today I should finish it as part of the Monty Oum Project. <3 Please let me know what you think! I know it's short, but I'll get there eventually.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Geoff found himself unable to get out of bed, for once not because he was hungover, but because a certain gangly lad was wrapped tightly around his waist.  He tried for several minutes to free himself, but it was no use.  Gavin, even while fast asleep, was apparently adamant on making his life difficult. Upon looking at the younger man’s peaceful face, however, Geoff couldn’t bear to wake him, especially after he remembered just how distraught Gavin had been the night before.  The thought of the pain that had been in his son’s eyes broke Geoff’s heart all over again, but he chose not to dwell on it.  With one more fierce wiggle, the older man broke free and began to get dressed so that he could start his day. 

As he walked out the front door of his monolith, Geoff was immediately bombarded by the rest of the inhabitants of Achievement City.

“There you are!” Jack exclaimed, “We were beginning to think you’d drank yourself into a stupor. Again.”

“One time, Jack. One fucking time!” Geoff shot back as he looked up at the sky.  It was clearly past midday and he doubted Gavin would be emerging from the house anytime soon. He sighed, silently praying that the other man wouldn’t be too distressed when he finally did wake up.  It had been a long while since memories of his time spent as the doctor’s prisoner had upset Gavin this badly, and Geoff couldn’t think of what would have triggered last night’s events, but he supposed it didn’t matter now. 

“-off! Geoffrey…helloooooo? Anyone home there, bossman?”

Blinking rapidly, Geoff focused back on the four men in front of him, namely, the smaller warrior who was currently waving his hand in his face.

“Jesus, Michael, what do you want?!”

The oldest lad huffed, “Well, while you were in Geoffyland, I was trying to ask if you had seen Gavin today! No one has seen him all morning and he’s usually the first one up.”

“Oh, he’s asleep in my house right now.”

“...Why?”

“You fucked, didn’t you?!”

While Michael smacked the back of Jeremy’s head, Geoff shot the group the most unimpressed look he could manage.

“No, you dick. He just had a really rough night and happened to come to my house to calm down. Nightmares, ya know?”

The younger man’s mouth formed a small frown, “Is he okay? It had to have been bad if he’s still out cold.”

“Do you need me to have a look at him?” Ryan asked, obviously worried. 

By the looks of it, they all were.  As Geoff thought about it, he couldn’t think of a time the others had ever seen Gavin legitimately upset.  It brought a smile to his face to see that they cared about Gavin as much as he did.

“No, but thank you, Ryan.  He just needs some rest, though I do ask that you guys take it easy on him if and when he finally decides to show himself.  He probably won’t be up for too much abuse.”

Michael and Jeremy both saluted their superior, causing the older men to laugh at their antics.  The two then ran off, probably to plan their next disaster, Ryan choosing to follow them to make sure such a thing didn’t actually happen. Once they were out of earshot, Jack pulled Geoff aside, speaking softly.

“Is there anything we can do? You look like Gavin’s dying.  Was the nightmare really that bad? Can you tell me about it?”

Geoff sighed again, “That’s for Gavin to decide.  It was about something personal, and you know the rules.”

Jack nodded.  Even before the “don’t ask unless you absolutely have to” rule had been implemented, Gavin had always been a very private boy; only really opening up to Geoff. Knowing there was nowhere else for the conversation to go, the two decided to part ways and go about their tasks for the day. 

By the late afternoon, Gavin still hadn’t left Geoff’s home, and Geoff was really starting to worry. Carefully, he cracked open the door to his home and called out to the younger man.  He knew Gavin probably didn’t hear him, given the size of the structure, but his voice was known to carry.

“Gavvy, bud, you okay? The others are starting to worry.”

Still nothing.

Inching closer to the bed, Geoff tried getting a response a few more times. Eventually, he reached the end, where a plume of sandy hair poked out. Unable to resist temptation, Geoff ripped the blanket off of the other man’s form, causing him to let out one of his signature squeals.

“Geoff why?!”

Laughing softly, Geoff placed a hand on the younger’s head, “Sorry, bub.  Just wanted to make sure you hadn’t keeled over yet.  Are you feeling any better?”

Gavin rolled over, burying his face back into the pillow, and groaned.

“I’ll take that as a no. Have you eaten at all today?”

Another groan.

Geoff put his hands on his hips, “Well, if you’re going to be that way, then up you go.”

Gavin squealed louder as he was thrown over the other man’s shoulder, “Geoff! Geoffrey put me down!”

“No can do, Gavvy.  You need to eat and I need to show the others proof that you aren’t actually as dead as Jeremy seems to believe.”  
  
“Is that an option?”

Geoff stopped and craned his neck so that he could get a better view of Gavin’s face from where he was perched, “I don’t know if it was a joke or not but if you ever talk like that again I will feed you to Michael.” He was too worried about the boy to put up with such things today.

“Geoff that’s mean.”

“I’m mean because I care, buddy.”

Without another word, they exited the monolith, and just as they had that morning, the others quickly surrounded Geoff.

“You found him! He lives!”

“Hey, Gav, you okay?”

“Geoff, you _dragged_ him out here?! I thought you said he needed rest!”

“He looks pale.  Are you sure you don’t need me to give him a checkup?”

Gavin mumbled something along the lines of “I’m right here you know”, but it went ignored.  As he was lowered to the ground, the lad found himself subconsciously hiding behind his caretaker, burying his fingers in the older man’s shirt like a child would.

“Hello, everyone,” he said softly.

Jack and Ryan’s faces both softened, each one grabbing one of the other lads’ arms to make sure they didn’t overwhelm Gavin.

“It’s good to see you up,” Jack said, “We made some cookies, would you like one?”

Gavin shook his head silently, and Jack felt himself deflate. _That nightmare fucked him up pretty bad,_ he thought to himself, _maybe Michael can get something out of him._ Cautiously, he let go of the bear-skin warrior and hoped that he wouldn’t try anything too drastic.  It seemed Ryan had a similar thought process, because when Jack looked over, Jeremy had also been released.

The two lads each sat on the ground beside Gavin and prompted him to join them.

“Hey, Gav, we got something really cool today. Do you want to see it? It’s more up Ryan’s ally, but you like all that science shit too so maybe this’ll make you feel better.”

When Gavin nodded, Michael pulled a small bundle from his backpack and handed it over to Jeremy.

“We were out messing around in the woods when Michael fell in a bush…”

“More like you pushed me…”

“Anyway, Michael fell in a bush and broke his ass on something sharp. I started laughing, but then he went and threw it at me. Michael has really good aim when he wants to—I’ll probably have a black eye tomorrow. This is why people push you in bushes, Michael…”

Gavin giggled at his friend’s bickering, and the gents, who were watching from Jack’s front porch, were glad to see a little bit of light come back to his eyes. It didn’t last long though.  When Jeremy finally stopped ranting about Michael’s manners and unwrapped their findings, Geoff saw Gavin’s posture stiffen.  Even from a distance, it was obvious what Jeremy was holding. 

An old, rusty, medical kit.

He was halfway across the lawn before Gavin started to scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This started off as a filler then shit happened. Also it sucks. My bad.


	3. Chapter 3

Ryan Haywood had always considered himself a man of many hats.  As a child, he was often found following the different tradesmen around his village, trying to learn everything he could from them.  He’d found that he was especially talented at enchanting and working with redstone.  By the age of eleven he had already put together an irrigation system for the village as well as discovered a new way to mine that wouldn’t fully break down the ore, thus making it easier to use. (And he only blew up his homemade workshop once _thank you very much.)_

Maybe that’s what drew Teacher to him.

_Ryan remembered Teacher well, the older man had been a wanderer, going from village to village to offer his services as a healer._ _The rest of the village had found him strange, but accepted him anyway out of necessity._ _Their last healer had met an ill fate after a mob attack, leaving them to have to rely on the priests and librarians for help due to their extra knowledge._ _Ryan had been instantly fascinated by the newcomer, and was eager to learn from him._ _As it turned out, the draw had been mutual._

_Ryan had been sitting in a small field by the village, playing with his family’s dog, Edgar, when the older man approached him._

_“You there, boy, tell me something,” he said, “Do you wish to learn?”_

_Ryan’s eyes lit up, “Oh, yes, sir, I do! I want to learn everything!”  
_ _  
_The other man hummed, “I thought so. I have seen your work, boy, and I want to teach you. You show great potential. Become my apprentice and let me show you more of this world than you can fathom.”__

_The child thought about it for a moment._ _Most people did not begin apprenticeships until they were fifteen._ _Would his parents approve? They had always wanted him to be a blacksmith like his father._ _The healer must have seen the hesitation on his face, because his next words broke Ryan out his reverie._

_“You do not think you are old enough._ _That is understandable, but hear this, boy—you are wise beyond your years, doing things many adults could only dream of._ _With the right training, you could do even more._ _Consider my offer, buy make it quick._ _I leave for the next village in two days’ time.”_

_With that, the man left him, and as Ryan settled back into the field with Edgar sleeping soundly beside him, he pondered the other’s words. After what seemed like hours, he stood and began walking towards his home._

_He needed to speak with his parents._

He had, after an intense argument with his mother and father, gone with teacher.  The man taught him well, and was incredibly kind to him, but he didn’t remember everything from his time with Teacher.  He had only stayed with the man for around five years before leaving, and it was the last couple that were fuzzy to him. Ryan never gave the memories much thought, though, he had learned a lot, and, due to his innate curiosity, had probably ingested a few more potions than he should have, so the blurred images of his mind that had nothing to do with his lessons were definitely explainable. Sometimes though, things would trigger small flashes that brought him back to that little cabin he called home for a while.

As he watched Gavin writhe on the ground, screaming and crying in agony, Ryan felt such a flash occur. Geoff had reached the younger man first, trying to calm him down with soft words and gentle strokes, but the touch only seemed to make Gavin panic more.  Ryan tried to will his legs to move, he was the city’s resident medical “expert”; he should be over there helping, but the screams caused something uneasy to rest in his gut.  They sounded so pained and familiar, though Ryan did not know why.

Instead, he watched the scene unfold before him.  Michael and Jeremy had backed away from their convulsing friend almost instantly, and each wore a look of pure terror upon realizing that their find had been the cause of Gavin’s distress.  Jack was not far behind Geoff, having gotten up not long after the leader had bolted from the steps of his home.  Geoff never moved that fast unless something was very, very wrong; especially when Gavin was at the center of it.  It was obvious that the larger man didn’t know how to help, so instead he moved to console the two other lads, who by now both looked ready to cry.

But Ryan remained frozen. 

He had always known Gavin to be a (ridiculously) cheerful man, if not a little odd.  Nothing ever seemed to faze him, but that’s when it struck Ryan that he actually didn’t know much about the youth.  The rest of the Hunter’s had, at some time or another, given a brief description of their life before coming to Achievement City, but not Gavin.  All any of them, aside from Geoff, knew about him was that he had a strange dialect, was an impeccable archer, and a bit of a beast master when it came to the monsters that plagued their lands—but even then, it was all information they had _observed_ about him. 

Seeing and hearing him now, though, Ryan began to question what he knew.  Geoff had said earlier that Gavin had had a nightmare, and that it had really gotten to him.  Was it somehow connected to the medical kit that Michael and Jeremy had found?

With a final, piercing scream, Gavin stilled, and Ryan finally found himself able to move.  He rushed to the fallen lad’s side, and began checking him over while Geoff watched, pale faced, from where he was crouched next to him. 

“Pulse is weak. Shallow breathing.  Cold to the touch. Fuck!” Ryan cried, “Geoff, help me move him to my house. We need to do this carefully.”

Without another word, the two men gently lifted Gavin from the ground.  By now tears were falling freely from Geoff’s eyes at the sight of his charge. Jack stayed behind to watch over the two remaining lads, both with ashen faces and glass eyes.

When they finally got Gavin settled into Ryan’s spare bed, Geoff slumped against a far wall, rubbing at his face vigorously. 

He watched Ryan work in silence, and after a long while, the kilted man turned to him.

“He’ll be okay, physically speaking. But mentally…Geoff what happened?!”

The elder hung his head, “It was the medical kit.  I-I can’t tell you everything, but bad shit was done to him as a kid, Ryan. Really bad shit.  Even I don’t know the entirety of it; he’s never been able to tell me.  But… _God_ Ryan…he was experimented on. Tortured. The fucking kit must have triggered a flashback to that.”

Ryan’s eyes widened, and his gaze moved back to the man on the bed.  Who would ever do something like that to Gavin?  He felt his body grow hot with rage at the thought, but he knew he couldn’t let himself be angry right now. Gavin needed him.  Even so, he knew there were some things that he couldn’t do for the lad. He didn’t know how to treat mental wounds. He bet Teacher could have.  He never missed the man more than he did at that moment.

He needed Teacher there with him.

Teacher would know what to do.

_Teacher could help Gavin._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually hate how this turned out, but seeing as it was the only draft out of like four that I finished, it'll have to do.


	4. Chapter 4

Jack was at a loss. It had been two days since Gavin's nightmare, two days since he watched the him collapse onto the ground screaming in agony...

Two days since he last saw Gavin awake.

As he stared down at the young man on the bed, Jack felt his heart break over and over again. He had sent Geoff to rest hours before, but not without a fight. Ever since Ryan carried Gavin's unconscious form from his own house to the monolith, Geoff had refused to leave his son's side. Jack had brought him food and water, imploring the older man to eat, but Geoff's clouded blue eyes never left Gavin's pained face. He had been so scared that the foreign boy would wake up without him there to comfort him, but after Jack had pointed out that he would be no use to Gavin if he himself collapsed, Geoff relented, leaving his friend to continue the vigil.

But that wasn’t his only concern.

Michael and Jeremy had been inconsolable once they were told what happened.  Neither lad had wanted to upset their friend, just show off their discovery.  The gents had been sure to exclude as little as they could at risk of upsetting them further.  Geoff explained the situation to them like someone would to a young child and simply told them that “a bad man did bad things to Gavin when he was little”. 

It was all the information they needed.  The two boys immediately locked themselves in Jeremy’s little hut, distracting themselves with gods knew what. Ryan had reported hearing muffled sobs coming from behind the walls, but when they tried to check on their young companions, the gents found that the door was barred from the inside and no amount of knocking and yelling would get them to open it. Jack figured they wouldn’t come out until Gavin woke up and dragged them out himself.

And then there was Ryan.

The other man was handling the situation better than the rest of them, but they all knew it was a ruse.  Upon handing Gavin over to Geoff and Jack, the middle gent retreated to his own home to bury himself in his medical books.  He was determined to know everything he could to help Gavin get through his trauma, but it was apparent that the genius was coming up empty. Just like he did with Geoff, Jack made sure to bring Ryan food and water, which he took in stride.  He told Jack of the little progress he was making, but Jack could tell the stress of not knowing exactly what to do was bearing down on the other man.

As Jack though about his companions, his mind wandered back to the lad before him on the bed.  Sometime in his fitful sleep, he had curled in on himself beneath the blanket, hugging part of it close to his chest.  It was obvious he was having nightmares based on the small whimpers that would sometimes escape his mouth, and Jack did his best to placate Gavin with soft words and running a hand through his hair.  The younger man was always affectionate and beamed under the touch of his friends, often initiating it himself with hugs or, in Jack and Michael’s case, scaling their backs and perching himself there. Sighing, Jack rested a hand on Gavin’s arm, momentarily marveled at just how big it looked next to the Gavin’s thin frame.

God, he looked so small laying there.

“You have to wake up, Gavin. It’s too quiet without you.  Everyone’s been a wreck the last couple of days, and I know you won’t like it, but we need an explanation. Something. We can’t help you if we don’t know the details.  I know what Geoff said, but what else are you hiding?”

He felt Gavin’s muscles twitch beneath his palm, but the prone man made no sign that he was waking up.  It was just another nightmare wracking his already battered mind.

Behind him, Jack heard Geoff stir and make his way over.

“Still nothing?” the older man said, and whether his voice was rough from sleep or despair Jack could not tell.

Jack shook his head, “He’s still fitful, and he’s tossed and turned a few times, but other than that there’s been no change.  Geoff, do you think he’s relieving his time…there?”

Geoff didn’t answer him, but then again Jack didn’t really expect him to.

The pair lapsed into a tense silence for some time before they heard the door to the monolith creek open.  Peering over, they saw Ryan standing there almost sheepishly.  Behind him they could make out the huddled forms of Michael and Jeremy.  They boys looked wary of the structure, but followed Ryan inside anyway. Sometimes Jack was glad to be wrong.

“I finally managed to convince them to come see him,” the scientist said softly.  He moved to where he was behind the pair, and placed his large hand on their shoulders, as if to urge them forward.

Geoff smiled at them, and held out a hand, “It’s alright. Come here.”

Michael, ever the braver of the two, inched his way towards where Gavin lay.  His bloodshot eyes scanned over the younger man’s prone form, and he instantly felt the tears begin to build up again.  He felt Jeremy reach for his hand, and once he had a weak grasp on it, the pair turned stifle towards Geoff.

“I’m sorry,” Michael said before falling into the leader’s lap, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” His cries got louder, as did Jeremy’s and Geoff had to look to Jack for support.

“Why are you sorry, boys?” the bearded man asked, reaching to stroke Jeremy’s hair.

The youngest hunter sniffled and wiped hurriedly at his eyes, “If we hadn’t shown Gavin that stupid thing, he would be okay right now. Or at least, better than this. He’s upset and it’s our fault!”

The three gents felt their hearts break simultaneously as they watched the two lads sob and apologize over and over again.

“It’s not your fault. You didn’t know,” Geoff tried to reason, “Gavvers was already pretty messed up today. Nightmare, remember? You were trying to make him feel better. You did nothing wrong.”

“But we did!” Michael argued, “We didn’t mean to but we did!”

It was Ryan’s turn to try, now, and as usual, he took the logical approach to try to placate the others.

“Michael, listen to me.  You didn’t know Gavin was hurt as a child. You didn’t know that some sicko did his sicko shit to him. You didn’t know that’s what his nightmare was about and you damn well didn’t know that an innocent, albeit random as fuck medical kit you found in some bush would cause him to have a violent flashback. Neither you or Jeremy knew anything. It’s not your fault and no one is going to blame you, especially not Gavin. He’s going to wake up, use some bull shit made up word, and then drive us all crazy just like he always does. You’ll see.”

“Ever the poet, Haywood. Also, it’s pronounced ‘bullshit’, not ‘shlubbit’. How did you even manage that one?” Jack chuckled from his spot next to Geoff.  Ryan stuck his tongue out at the younger man, earning a small, slightly forced laugh from the lads, and Jack counted that as a win.

Another silence lapsed over the group, though this time it was lighter.  They indulged themselves in each other’s company, each man quietly willing their friend to wake up so Ryan could rub it in their faces that he was, once again, right. Hours passed before a noise was heard.

And it came from the bed.

Michael and Jeremy grabbed each other’s hands again, this time out of hope instead of fear.  Geoff, Jack, and Ryan held their breath as they watched Gavin stir.  Eventually, the green clad man rolled his head towards them. 

“Gavvy, bud, you with us?” Geoff asked tentatively.

Gavin hissed, presumably at the light of the room, before squirming again and slowly blinked his eyes open. The other five men froze.

His eyes were solid black.

All the warmth that they were used to from normally bright green eyes was now gone, replaced by an almost soulless ink that covered both the iris and the sclera. He blinked again, not saying a word as he watched them scan his face.

Ryan seemed to find his composure first, “Gavin,” he said, “I need to give you a checkup. Is that okay?”

The younger man’s now dark gaze narrowed almost dangerously before he shook his head.

“Please, you’ve been through a lot the last couple of days. I need to make sure there wasn’t any permanent damage, as well as try to see what happened to your eyes.”

Gavin shook his head again, more violently this time.

Ryan reached for the bed slowly, as if trying to calm a wild animal, “Ga-…”

_**“Stay the fuck away from me.”** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is the longest one yet. I'm kinda proud of it. I know it seems kinda haphazard and choppy at some points, but that's how it was planned. 
> 
> Please let me know if you're liking this so far? For Michael and Jeremy? Please?


	5. Chapter 5

Static filled the air as Gavin glared at Ryan from his spot on the bed. The other hunters had gone quiet, none of them daring to interfere.  Gavin was not one for cursing, much less hostility.

**“** _**I said fuck off, Haywood** _ **.”**

The young man’s voice had a hiss to it, sounding almost garbled mixed with his already thick accent.

“Gavin…what? What’s wrong?” Geoff tried to placate the lad, but Gavin simply ignored him and stood up.

“No! Gavin, you have to rest, get back in the bed!”

“It’s lovely of you to care, father dear, but I’m fine.  Now will you please get out of my bleedin’ way?”

Michael and Jeremy had retreated back behind Ryan, while Jack moved next to Geoff in order to try and help him try to get their charge to calm down. He didn’t want to admit it out loud, but the bearded man found himself scared of Gavin; something he would have never thought possible before now.  Gavin had always been a gentle soul, chaotic, yes, but still gentle.  He’d only fight out of necessity, and always wore a blinding smile that took up most of his face. He had a soft spot for the rabbits that could be found roaming their lands, and though the ocelots in the area seemed wary of him, he loved them, too.  He was known to argue with the others, of course, but only because they couldn’t comprehend his train of thought and it frustrated him. Gavin was a simple, sweet man, with an explosive personality and a warm heart….

The man in front of him now was not.

This man was cold, angry, and looked ready to rip Ryan’s throat out. Looked like he _could_ rip Ryan’s throat out. Jack didn’t know what the scientist had done to anger Gavin, but he found himself worried for the older man’s well-being.  He didn’t get a chance to inquire about it before Gavin shoved past him and Geoff, gave one last glare to Ryan, and stormed out of the monolith.

Jack hadn’t even realized he had made to follow him when he felt Geoff’s stiff hand stop him.

“Don’t.  Stay here with those three, they need the support right now, I’ll take care of him,” he motioned towards where Ryan and the remaining lads were huddled in the corner, seeking comfort in each other. 

Jack could have sworn he saw tears in Ryan’s eyes.

“What did I do?” the blond muttered, “What did I do to make him so mad, Jack?”

He didn’t have an answer.

Outside, Geoff quietly followed behind Gavin. _Father dear_ , the youth had called him.  He could count on one hand how many times Gavin had referred to him as his dad, but none of them had held so much malice—it had always been out of jest or the need for comfort. He saw Gavin stop suddenly, near the bank of the pond behind Geoff’s house, and flop onto the ground.

“Did you know Creeper’s are born from the sand?”

Geoff startled, he hadn’t expected Gavin to say anything, hell he thought the kid didn’t know he was behind him.

“Gav..?”

“The sand, Dad.  That’s why I wanted to bury him here.”

 _Oh, shit_.

Gavin was sitting at Sparky’s grave.  It was a small mound, easily missed if you didn’t know it was there, marked only by stone beneath the water. Gavin stared at the spot for a long while, before turning his head towards the other man, and Geoff felt the vice around his heart release slightly.

Instead of the soulless black pits that had bored into him earlier, he was met with tired, helpless green.

Geoff still couldn’t bring himself to speak, but it seemed as though Gavin was going to do enough of that for both of them.

“I’m sorry for back there.  Being near Ryan just feels…wrong. I don’t know…it’s scary and instinct kicked in, I guess.  I’m sorry.”

That was all it took for Geoff to pull him into a large hug.

“You scared me. I thought I’d lost you,” he ran a hand through Gavin’s wild hair, “What’s this about sand?” He chose to ignore the fact that Gavin had once again referred to him as his father, that could be handled later.

“It’s exactly what I said.  Creepers are born from the sand.  That’s why you have to mix it with gunpowder to make TNT.”

“Is that why you wanted to bury Sparky here, buddy?”

“What’s the phrase? Ashes to ashes and dust to dust? Return from whence you came and all that. I can feel it, Geoff.  The Creeper thing.  It’s coming full force,” he grabbed Geoff’s hand, “I’m scared, Dad. I haven’t lost myself in so long, but now I feel like I can’t stop it and I’m scared.”

“You’ll be okay, bud. I’m here, and you have the others.  Even Ryan, no matter if you want him to be or not.  I know you’re mad at him, but you need to remember he’s not like that man. He truly wants to help you. Maybe we should tell them what’s going on.”

Gavin’s head shot up, and Geoff could have sworn he saw his eyes flicker dark for a moment.

“No! No, they can’t know. They’ll think I’m a freak!  They hate creepers. I don’t want them to hate me, Geoff. Please don’t make me tell them!”

“Hey! Hey calm down! We need to, at some point.  You know that deep down.  I won’t let them hate you, which they couldn’t do that anyway.  It’s okay,” he began to pet Gavin’s hair again, pulling the younger man closer to his chest, “Why do you keep calling me dad? You haven’t done that since you were a teenager.”

“Because I really need one right now,” Gavin murmured, muffled by the fabric of Geoff’s shirt.

“Okay.  Can I at least explain that to the others? They’re going to ask questions, and I want to have answers for at some of them.”

Gavin nodded, “That’s…that’s fine. Yeah,” he looked back up at Geoff, “Can I be alone with Sparky for a while? Please?”

Geoff smiled, “Sure.  I’ll go explain what I can to the others; see if stuff has calmed down. Come get me if you need me.”

He rose and brushed off his pants, giving Gavin a last pat on the head, before making his way back inside.  Once there he was met with a large sense of deja-vu as the others threw questions his way.

“Woah there,” he held his hands up, signaling them to stop, “Gavin’s fine, so to speak,” he looked at Ryan, “He wanted me to tell you he’s sorry, the whole doctor thing scared him and he wasn’t in the right mind to deal with it. But he’s managed to clear his head now, somewhat, and he’s still scared of you, but he’s sorry. Are you okay?”

Ryan nodded, offering Geoff a small “thank you”.

Jack spoke up next, “I’m glad he’s not too upset, but I do have a question.”

Geoff sighed, “I swear to god if you say, ‘what the fuck was that’ I’ll shave you in your sleep.”

“Actually, I was going to ask about the whole ‘father dear’ thing.”

“So, you are his dad!” Michael shouted, “Jeremy you owe me a diamond.”

While Jeremy mumbled about his lost bet, Geoff felt himself smile, “Good to know you’re feeling better, too, boys.  As for Jack’s question: yes and no.”

The others blinked, obviously confused.

Geoff took a deep breath before he began explaining, “See, when I rescued Gavin from the dude who caused all this shit to begin with, he was only seven, having been there for roughly three years,” he saw Jack cover his mouth in horror, “and he didn’t know where his village was. Couldn’t even tell me the name. I wanted to take him back to his mother, but as you can imagine, it was pretty impossible without knowing where to go.  So, I decided ‘fuck it he’s mine now’, and asked Gavin if that was okay, and after he agreed we came back here.  I, essentially, adopted him.  He hasn’t called me that since he was seventeen, though. He’s scared right now, and for good reason.  Things are coming back to haunt him, and it’s causing what you saw earlier.  I will tell you now, it’s only going to get worse. Things are going to change. And it won’t be pretty.”

“Is there anything we can do?” Jeremy asked, timidly.

“Be there for him. Let him know that these changes won’t change how you see him.  That’s what he’s most afraid of. I’ve gotten him to agree to tell you everything when he’s ready, but I don’t know when that will be. Please, be patient with him.  And Ryan,” he waited for the other man to acknowledge him, “he’s probably going to be a little hostile around you for a while.  Try not to take it personally.”

Ryan bit his lip.  Gavin was probably the closest to him out of everyone in Achievement City.  He had been the one to get him out of his shell and trust the others. They were Team Love N Stuff, the self-proclaimed science bros.  Gavin was usually the only one ever willing to listen to his long-winded explanations and rants, and in turn, he tried to help Gavin explain himself easier.  He was smart, despite what the others often thought, and Ryan was constantly trying to help him prove it.

Knowing that the younger man currently wanted nothing to do with him hurt, a lot, but he understood.  Gavin had been through so much, just because some “doctor” felt like he made for an easy experiment.  Once again Ryan felt his anger boil at the thought, and if he hadn’t already known that Geoff had killed the man, he would be formulating a way to do it himself.

Taking a deep breath, he steadied his gaze with Geoff’s, “I’ll do whatever I can. Not as a healer, but as his friend.”

He just prayed it would be enough.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the escalation continues! 
> 
> Opinions? Questions? Theories? Anything? Someone tell Ryan I'm sorry.
> 
> (I actually hate this chapter but whatever |D It was written during a 9 am political science lecture. My brain was rather mushy.)


	6. Chapter 6

Gavin remained by the grave for hours. He could feel the warmth of the sun fading as it set, and felt himself growing colder. He welcomed the change in temperature, though. The cold reminded him that he was still (mostly) human. Lazily, he doodled in the sand, and soon he found his thoughts drift to the brief time in his life before Geoff had found him. Even before the doctor had taken him away.

He thought of home. Of his mother. Of Dan...

He didn't remember either of their faces very well, but he remembered the smell of sawdust and vanilla that always lingered on his mother's skin, and the bright spark of mischief that seemed permanently present in his friend's dark eyes. He remembered them being his only constants in life.

He never knew his father, but his mother once told him that he had been from their village and they'd met while she had been passing through. She'd stayed and settled down with him, and then a couple of years later Gavin came along. His father had died in a mining accident, she said, but they stayed in the same house in hopes that his spirit would protect them. He remembered the shadows he would see dancing at night, and telling his mother she was right. Oh, how she had cried....

_God, he missed her._

And Dan, sweet Dan, his B. He couldn't remember what the nickname stood for, but he supposed it didn't matter anymore. Dan had probably forgotten all about him. They were friends from birth, according to their mothers, attached at the hip and always ready to see what the world had to offer their young minds. They, even as toddlers, knew that there was something more outside of their village. They would run through the fields until the moon beckoned them home, exploring and learning as they went.

 _Well, B,_ he thought sadly, _I found our answer. And it sucks._

Gavin allowed his mind to wander for a little longer, relishing in the few memories he had of his first home. He loved Geoff, the man really was his parent by this point, and he loved the others, too, but it didn't replace the burning void that the Doctor had carved into his chest when he had taken him that night. For a moment, Gavin wondered if that burning was what fueled his other side. An explosion needed a light, yeah?

"Gav?"

The voice broke him out of thoughts before the idea could go further, and he turned to see Michael and Jeremy staring at him apprehensively. He nodded at them in acknowledgment, which the pair took as their cue to make their way over.

"Are...are you okay? We're really sorry about this. We should have left that stupid thing where we found it," Michael said quietly.

Gavin was a bit taken aback by his friend's softness. Even though Michael was an incredibly caring soul, he was not a gentle one. To see him look so broken up about the situation made Gavin smile slightly; it was good to know they cared. He could see Jeremy off to the side shuffling his feet, seemingly not knowing what to say, but whenever the younger lad met his eyes, he could see the remorse in them as well.

"It's alright," Gavin said, "You didn't mean anything by it, and you couldn't have known what would happen. Geoff told me that you know a bit of why I reacted like I did," he hung his head in shame, "I'm sorry you had to see that, by the way."

Jeremy's own head shot up, and it looked like he desperately wanted to run over and hug his friend. "You don't have to apologize for that, man! Something fucked up happened to you, and we don't blame you for not wanting to be reminded of it."

Gavin smiled again, thinking to himself how much Dan would like Jeremy. He desperately wished his two lives could converge.

But that was impossible.

He sighed, not finding the energy to put on a fake air of positivity anymore, "I... thank you. Though I still wish you hadn't had to see it. I haven't had an episode like that in years. I guess I was foolish to think they had passed completely," he saw the pitying looks on their faces, "but enough of that. Is there something you lads needed?"

They still remained a small distance from him for a moment before Michael threw caution to the wind and sat himself next to Gavin, pulling Jeremy down with him, who went without any argument. Both lads threw an arm around his shoulders in comfort, and Gavin took in their warmth greedily.

"We were worried about you, boi," the bear-man said, "It's not like you to be so quiet for so long, even when you're upset. We don't really understand what's going on, but we want to help."

Jeremy nodded enthusiastically, almost knocking himself over in the process, which caused Gavin to giggle softly, and in turn earned a triumphant look from Michael. Gavin really was very glad that they cared so much. He knew deep down that they always did, but it was nice to have a reminder sometimes. He also noticed how they avoided the subject of his small...outburst...from earlier, but decided not to comment on it if they weren't going to.

"Dude, you're our bro and we love you. We want you to let us in, but it's okay if you can't right now, we just want our Gavin back," Jeremy smirked, "Ryan may actually turn into a kicked puppy soon, though. That's also okay, I always wanted a pet."

"J, buddy, I hate to tell you this but _you’re_ the pet here."

"Fuckin’ rude!"

Gavin laughed again, happy that his friends were able to maintain a sense of normalcy with him, despite recent events. These two were indeed his brothers, older and younger, and he was very content playing the part of middle child.

However, the thought of siblings brought his thoughts back to his mother. She had always wanted Gavin to have some, but never found the right man for her to accept getting married again. Did that ever change? Did he have a new stepdad somewhere? Did that stepdad even know he existed? Did his new brother or sister know? Did they even care?

_Did his mother even care anymore?_

It was a legitimate question. He'd been gone for over twenty years. It wouldn't surprise him if she had given up. He himself had thought about it a few times. Many nights he had laid awake trying to make himself forget her and Dan, for the sake of his own inner peace. It would be so much easier for him to just leave that behind and move on with his new life here in Achievement City, but he couldn't. Not while he knew deep down that they were still out there.

He didn't even know he had said anything out loud until he felt a rough finger poking his cheek.

"Gavvy, you home, dude?"

He didn't say anything, just looked at his companions curiously, until he felt the finger on his cheek again, this time wiping at something.

Was he crying?

"Don't cry, boi! Your mom would be proud of you."

Gavin paled.

"God damn it, Michael, you messed him up again. He obviously didn't mean to voice that shit, and you went and pointed it out!"

"Fuck," the oldest lad groaned, running a hand down his face, but before he could apologize, Gavin cut him off.

"N-no. It's okay. Thank you. You're probably right. But, please, enough about this," he looked up at the sky where the sun had officially gone down for the night, the bright moon above reminding him of his earlier lamentation, and chose to shake the thoughts from his head, "let's go inside, yeah? Jack should be done with dinner soon."

Michael and Jeremy took the hint easily enough, standing and brushing the dirt from their trouser legs, then helping Gavin do the same. Together the three boys headed to the monolith where the gents were probably waiting anxiously for them.

While his friends raced ahead, Gavin smiled one last time to himself.

This family may not fully fill his void, but he'd be damned if they weren't doing a good job at trying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M ALIVE!!!! Holy shit this chapter kicked my ass, and I think it won. I'm sorry it took so long, and I'm sorry the final result is terrible. I really wanted a chapter about the lads, and also one involving Gavin remembering his mom and Dan. I didn't have enough to separate the two, so this happened. I have no idea what the next one will be about, so sorry in advanced if that also takes seventeen years to be posted. (Also sorry if there's any formatting errors. I'm posting this from my ipad)
> 
> You still love me, right? :c


	7. Chapter 7

A week passed and each day Gavin grew a little more distant from everyone, especially Ryan.  The alchemist understood why, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.  The younger man hadn’t had any episodes like when he had woken up, but Ryan still found himself wary of Gavin.  He’d never known the little archer to be so closed off from anyone, let alone so curt.  Ryan could tell he was trying to be civil around the older man, but it was thinly veiled. 

Very, very thinly veiled.  Ryan had no idea Gavin knew so many expletives.

Gavin had also been spending a lot of time at the small pond behind the monolith, talking to himself.  Ryan was a smart man, he knew that spot meant something important to Gavin, and he knew he shouldn’t encroach on the private moments, but Ryan was a smart man, not a sensible one.

 While heading out to forage for more potion ingredients, he found Gavin in his spot once more, and made a rash decision. Gathering all the courage he could, he straightened his back and made his way over.

It wasn’t until he was behind Gavin that he realized his idea was stupid.  Gavin clearly wanted nothing to do with him, yet here he was invading a personal moment to appease his own awkwardness.

“I don’t hate you, you know.”

The soft voice caused Ryan’s head to snap up.  He had to have heard that wrong.  Gavin completely and utterly hated him, and he probably deserved it.  Probably.

Gavin spoke again, “I mean it.  Geoff told you it’s nothing personal, yeah?”

Ryan nodded, not thinking about how Gavin couldn’t see him from his position.

“Stop gawking and come here, lovely Ryan. I won’t bite you, I just want to explain something.”

The nickname caught him off guard.  Ryan was sure he wasn’t “lovely” to Gavin anymore! As relief washed over him, the scientist did as he was told, and shuffled closer.  Gavin motioned for Ryan to join him on the sand, not waiting for him to fully sit down before speaking again.

“I had a…friend…during my time with the Doctor.  I think he was younger than me, but it was hard to tell.  He was the other, um, subject…”

Ryan swallowed the lump in his throat, “What was his name?”

“Sparky.”

Ryan’s eyes widened, something about the name triggered another memory, just like Gavin’s episode had that first day.  A small figure, shrouded in…green? Black, maybe? They were watching him with fearful eyes, but he didn’t know why.  What was he seeing? And _why_ was he seeing it?

Not noticing his companion’s inner turmoil, Gavin continued to speak, “He didn’t survive the experiments, as I guess you can imagine. I asked Geoff to bury him here.  He couldn’t return to his family either, so I wanted him to at least be near me.  We were all each other had for several years, after all.”

Ryan nodded mutely again, before clearing his throat.

“Gavin?” he said cautiously, “Can I ask you a question?”

“I suppose, but I can’t promise I’ll have an answer.”

“About Sparky, was he.... was he human? Or something else?”

Ryan didn’t really consider what he expected to come from his question, but suddenly the air was filled with static, and Ryan could feel the hair on the back of his neck begin to stand.  Briefly he thought a storm was coming and he should find cover from lightning, but that thought was thrown aside.

And so was he.

Roughly, Ryan hit the ground.  When he got enough bearings to realize this, he looked up, blinking at the bright sun overhead.  Before he could voice his confusion, a shadow appeared in his vision.

_**“What do you know?!”** _

There was that voice again, just like when Gavin had first woken up--the warped accent and hissing tone.  Black eyes came into focus, and Ryan felt his blood run cold.

Gavin look like a rabid animal with his soulless gaze and twisted snarl.  Ryan could see his fists clenching at his sides, almost glowing with some kind of heavy energy.

“Gavin, I…”

_**“Shut up.”** _

Unlike the first time, Gavin’s voice didn’t lose the mangled edge as he continued to speak.  If anything, it intensified. 

_**“I asked you a question of my own, Haywood. What. Do. You. Know?”** _

“I…I don’t know! I can’t…”

_**“LIAR!”** _

Ryan tried to crawl backwards and covered his face with his arms to protect himself.  He wanted to call for help, but he knew that the others were out doing their own chores for the day.  There wouldn’t be anyone else around for miles.  This wasn’t Gavin anymore.  He didn’t know what the being in front of him was, but it _was not Gavin_.

“I promise! I don’t know! The name it just…”

_**“Just what, you bastard?!”** _

“Something about it! I... I swear I don’t know!”

Gavin, the thing in Gavin’s body, _whatever_ , snarled again, but didn’t speak further.  Ryan lowered his arms to see if it was because Gavin had calmed down, but what he saw only scared him further.

Gavin’s eyes were still black, and the inkiness seemed to be seeping onto the skin around his sockets, making them appear large and hollow. The rest of it had adopted a sickly green hue in patches, almost like scales, and with his teeth bared, Ryan could make out small fangs. 

“G-Gavin?”

The only answer he got was a hiss before Gavin stormed off towards the woods.  Ryan tried calling for him again, but Gavin didn’t even acknowledge that he’d heard.  Ryan remained in the sand for a few minutes before he jumped to his feet and ran for the town center.

Once he arrived, he did his best to calm himself down, and by the time the others returned his breathing had almost evened out, but he knew he was still pale and clammy. 

Jeremy saw him first, and ran over.

“Dude! Are you alright? Did something happen? Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost? I thought you’d enjoy something like that.”

Ryan could almost laugh at Jeremy’s attempt to check on him, but instead he just shook his head weakly.

“Gavin…” he croaked out, “Gavin…I…I…” 

Geoff was instantly on alert, “What happened to Gavin? Where is he?!”

“The woods.  We fought and he ran into the woods.”

“Oh, Ryan,” Jack said softly, placing a hand on the scientist shoulder, “You were just trying to help, weren’t you?” 

Ryan sighed, “It was going so well! He told me about his friend and I asked the wrong question.  I shouldn’t have pried.  Geoff, I’m so sorry…”

Ryan felt a squeeze on his unoccupied shoulder, and looked up to see Geoff’s cloudy eyes staring at him intensely.  He prepared himself to be berated, or even hit, but instead of anger, Geoff’s voice held sympathy and concern.

“It’s not your fault and don’t you dare say otherwise.  Don’t apologize because Gavin’s not all there right now.  Did he hurt you?”

The healer’s eyes widened.  Geoff should be worried about his son, but instead here he was making sure Ryan was safe.

“No! He shoved me, but that was it.  He stormed off before it actually got physical.”

“What did he look like? I need you to tell me as much as you can.”

Ryan shuddered at the memory, but explained everything he could about the encounter to Geoff.  By the time he was done, their leader had gone white as a sheet. 

“We need to find him. Now.”

Michael finally spoke up at this news, “What? Why? Geoff what’s going on?!”

“I’ll explain everything on the way.  Just grab a sword and follow me. Gavin has only ever reacted like this once before, and I have scars to prove it. I don’t need you getting some of your own.”

The idea that Gavin would hurt Geoff shocked the others.  Just what was going on with him that would cause him to leave _scars_ of all things on the man that had cared for him since he was a child?

“Everything?” Jack asked after a pregnant pause, “But the rules…”

Geoff’s eyes were dark as he stared his longtime friend down, “Fuck the rules.  This has gotten dangerous and I can’t help you if you don’t know what’s about to happen. Gavin’s gone feral, and if we don’t act soon, we could lose him completely.”

Ryan felt his knees buckle, and was very thankful Jack was close by to hold him steady.  He couldn’t lose Gavin. Not before he fixed this. Not before he proved to himself that Gavin’s last kind words to him were true. 

_I don’t hate you…_

_It’s nothing personal…_

_Lovely Ryan…_

God fucking damn it he missed Teacher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIVE. HI.
> 
> I apologize for making y'all wait. I knew it had been too long when people started asking if I was going to continue this. But I've been very ill since late January (we're talking this last week has been the first in like two months that don't involve a doctor's visit or blood work) as well as starting my final semester of university. However, I think this chapter is pretty good, if I do say so myself.  
>  ~~sorry about all the ellipses though. i got carried away |D~~
> 
> Please tell me what you think, cause that's what's important here. 
> 
> I love you, bye!


	8. Chapter 8

Dan considered himself a lucky man.  He was young, strong, the best warrior in his village and at the age of only seventeen he’d taken over as the lead hunter, which was a position of high honor in Slow Mo.  He loved the life his small home had granted him, but even with the prestige and comfort surrounding him, he found himself feeling empty.  Ever since Gavin had been kidnapped when they were children, Dan was at a loss.  The two were attached at the hip, inseparable.  Where B lead, B would follow.

Too bad this B could only follow so far. 

They had never found Gavin, nor the man they knew had taken him.  Some nasty old “healer” that Dan remembered to have long, spidery fingers and a skeleton’s face.  Even at four years old he hadn’t trusted the man.  He’d tried to tell his parents and the other adults in the village as much, but they brushed him off.

Then he’d taken Gavin away in the middle of the night.  They’d all heard his mother’s screams as she woke to find the boy’s bed empty and the stranger gone with him.  They’d immediately sent out a search party, one that Dan watched from the borders of the village.  His own mum was close to Gavin’s, so she stayed behind to console her, telling her they’d find the child.

But Dan knew. He _knew_.

Gavin wouldn’t be coming home. And that hurt far more than anything ever would.

So, he threw his pain into training.  He couldn’t protect his best friend he would do everything he could to protect his home.  In his spare time, sparse may it be, he devoted himself to learning the blacksmith trade from Gavin’s mother.  She had no one of blood relation left, but Dan had always been like a second son to her, and he would be damned if he let her be alone now. 

He learned, he studied, he practiced, and most importantly, _he fought_. 

He fought or those mischievous green eyes and grin that could get them out of anything. For the squeaky laugh, he’d never hear again. For the brother who couldn’t fight for himself.

On long hunts, Dan would lay awake while the rest of the party slept soundly. He’d count the stars and imagine the adventures he and Gavin had planned for themselves.

The may have been children, but they had still dreamt.

“I hope you know I miss you, B,” he’d say to the clouds overhead. He wouldn’t allow himself to cry, though, he hadn’t done that since he told his mother he had had a nightmare about what “The Bad Man” was doing to Gavin.

The cursed nightmare plagued him still, just as it had only hours ago, and as Dan lay under the stars once more he thought about it.  The priests of the village had told him that such a recurring dream was a message; that maybe Gavin was calling out.  

_He saw a dark hut, in the middle of a dense woods, over grown with vines and thorns.  Dan, as his adult self, stood outside, frozen.  He could hear the whimpering and sobbing that came from behind the doors, but he couldn’t move more than to reach for the handle.  He felt a breeze begin to blow on him as he did, and the cabin receded into the blackness of the night._

_“Dan…” a voice behind him said, “B, help me...it hurts, B.”_  

_At the use of the nickname, Dan whipped around to face where the sound was coming from. He knew that voice, warped as it was, but he was not met with the familiar face he expected.  Instead, he saw a small creeper._

_“Dan,” it said again._

_“B? Gavin?”_

_The creeper nodded, and Dan’s breath hitched.  Gavin was a creeper? He called out to the creature again, “Talk to me, B.”_

_The creeper began to morph, then, its small green body twisting painfully and Dan was sure he heard bones snap, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away.  After a grueling few minutes, Dan didn’t see the thing but a man anymore. His hair was shaggy and his face sunken, but what got him most was the eyes._

_They were solid black, empty._

_But even then, Dan knew he was staring at the grown version of his lost friend. The hair was the right color, and the skin held that familiar tan.  Dan felt like he could laugh at the nose on his face.  Only his B could have that beak.  But his Gavin’s eyes were green…_

_“G-Gav, is that you?”_

_“It hurts, B.”_

_“What hurts?”_

_“It_ hurts _, B. Why didn’t you save me?”_

_Dan felt his eyes begin to burn, and he stepped closer, “I-I couldn’t! I was a child!”_

_“Why didn’t you save me? You let him hurt me.”_

_“I didn’t! I didn’t!”_

_Gavin whimpered, closing the rest of the space between them, “You have to find me, Dan. Help me. The others will be with you.”_

_“The others?” What was Gavin talking about? He was gone forever! How could he find him now?_

_“They’ll be with you.”_

_Dan could feel himself beginning to wake up, but he didn’t want to. Gavin seemed to sense this, and grabbed his hand.  Dan almost recoiled at the shock that ran through him at the touch, but stopped when he realized his friend’s body was beginning to dim._

_“Gavin! Please don’t go. Don’t leave me again!”_

_The man before him smiled sadly, his black eyes fading to a familiar green, “You have to find me.”_

Dan always woke up after that.  He was upset that he couldn’t get more information from Gavin, but at the same time he relished in the brief reunion. This time, though, the dream had felt much more real, and Dan could feel the static still pulsing through his veins.  He’d given up on ever actually seeing Gavin again, but the more he imagined it, the more his hope returned.  This was the final push he’d needed. He’d made up his mind and with a quick look around the camp, he packed his belongings and made his way into the night, leaving only a note in his wake.

“He’s out there, and I’m going to bring him home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey. Hey look what I got done. Heyyyyy. 
> 
> I finally have a break from doctor's visits (even though they still don't have a diagnosis. yay.) and a free hour during school so I figured why the fuck not. This was meant to be a filler more than anything but we can all see how that ended. Do you still love me for being so sporadic about uploading? :c Please say yes, even though this one is a little shorter than the others. 
> 
>  
> 
> ~~take a shot every time i mention gavin's eyes~~
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Also if you wanna chill with me or give me ideas come find me on tumblr! I like new friends.


	9. Chapter 9

They’d been walking for six days.  Six very long, very hot, and very _stupid_ days.  He’s pretty sure he’s seen that rock before.  Fuck that rock.  They were getting nowhere.

 And Geoff still hadn’t told them a goddamn thing.  His boi was out there somewhere, probably not even aware of what he was doing, and Geoff wouldn’t tell them anything that could help.

 Fucking rude.

 Michael was not a patient person by nature, and Gavin just seemed to bring it out in him more, whether he was actually there or not.  Stupid Gavin.  Stupid med kit.  Stupid Geoff.  Stupid Ryan, probably.  Everything was stupid. 

 Michael was also not an eloquent man, to say the least—but he cared about his friends, and right now one of his best friends was out there, alone and scared, and he knew _nothing_.

 Finally, he decided he couldn’t take it anymore.

 “Geoff!  We have to stop.  We’re going in circles; I’m positive I pissed on that same tree four hours ago.”

 The leader sighed, obviously just as weary as the rest of their party, but weighed down by something else, “I know, buddy, it’s just…”

Michael’s anger softened, “You’re ready to find Gavin, I know.  So are we.  But you need to remember you’re the only one here that knows what the shit is going on.  You promised you’d fill us in, man.”  
  
Geoff visibly deflated at that, nodding silently.  He knew the others couldn’t help him, help _Gavin_ , without knowing the story, but how does someone explain to someone that one of their dearest friends is a fucking _creeper_?  That he probably won’t recognize them when they find him?  If they find him at all?

Geoff officially hated his life.

He motioned for the other four to sit down and start setting up camp for the night.  Michael couldn’t remember the last time he saw his leader look this worn down.  Sure, Geoff always had a sleepy air about him, but he never actually _looked_ tired.  This whole Gavin thing was really getting to him.

“Are…are you going to tell us now?” Jeremy asked, timidly.

The others focused all attention on Geoff, causing him to shrink back slightly. It was obvious that he really didn’t want to tell them, but also knew they wouldn’t relent, so he cleared his throat, squared his shoulders, and began.

“Gavin is not my son, not biologically, at least—this much you already know.  You also know I saved him from a lunatic that fucked him up pretty badly.  What you don’t know is just what that means.  Like I said last time, even I haven’t got the whole story, but I’ll tell you what I can,” he spoke, voice trying to remain steady.  He began telling them everything he could—about Gavin’s past that he knew of, about how he came to live with him, and about how he’s been here before.  The others didn’t mention how his eyes glazed over as he relived the memories.

_“Gavin,”_ _Geoff_ _asked_ _softly,_ _“Can_ _you_ _tell_ _me_ _what_ _the_ _Doctor_ _did_ _to_ _you?”_

_It_ _had_ _been_ _a_ _month_ _since_ _Geoff_ _found_ _Gavin_ _and_ _brought_ _him_ _home_ _._ _The_ _child_ _was_ _quiet_ _and_ _reserved,_ _afraid_ _to_ _ask_ _for_ _anything_ _and_ _only_ _referring_ _to_ _Geoff_ _with_ _titles_ _like_ _“mister”_ _and_ _“sir”_ _._ _When_ _Geoff_ _had_ _first_ _found_ _the_ _child,_ _he’d_ _been_ _more_ _open_ _and_ _happy,_ _but_ _the_ _second_ _they_ _reached_ _Geoff’s_ _monolith_ _he_ _shut_ _down_ _._ _Geoff_ _suspected_ _that_ _Gavin_ _had_ _realized_ _that_ _he_ _was_ _once_ _again_ _in_ _a_ _strange_ _man’s_ _home_ _and_ _was_ _worried_ _that_ _he_ _would_ _do_ _something_ _to_ _him_ _as_ _well_ _._ _Geoff_ _honestly_ _didn’t_ _blame_ _him_ _for_ _it,_ _he’d_ _be_ _wary_ _too_ _after_ _all_ _that_

_“Gavin?_ _Come_ _now,_ _lad_ _._ _I_ _need_ _to_ _know_ _what_ _he_ _did_ _so_ _I_ _can_ _help_ _you_ _._ _Please?”_

_The_ _child_ _shuffled_ _his_ _feet,_ _looking_ _up_ _at_ _Geoff_ _after_ _a_ _moment,_ _“Help?”_

_Geoff_ _smiled,_ _this_ _was_ _progress,_ _“Yeah,_ _buddy_ _._ _How_ _did_ _he_ _hurt_ _you?”_ _he_ _paused,_ _“how_ _did_ _he_ _hurt_ _Sparky?”_

_Sparky_ _._ _The_ _little_ _creeper_ _that_ _Geoff_ _had_ _found_ _dead_ _beside_ _Gavin_ _._ _The_ _boy_ _had_ _insisted_ _on_ _burying_ _his_ _friend_ _in_ _the_ _sand_ _behind_ _the_ monolith _and_ _still_ _cried_ _out_ _for_ _him_ _at_ _times_ _._ _Geoff_ _could_ _only_ _imagine_ _what_ _had_ _been_ _done_ _to_ _the_ _two,_ _but_ _he_ _needed_ _to_ _know_ _for_ _sure_ _._ _What_ _if_ _Gavin_ _needed_ _a_ _healer?_

_Gavin’s_ _eyes_ _began_ _to_ _well_ _up,_ _“He_ _..._ _the_ _Doctor_ _…_ _he_ _took_ _me_ _from_ _mummy_ _when_ _I_ _was_ _little_ _._ _Shoved_ _me_ _in_ _a_ _sack_ _while_ _I_ _was_ _sleeping_ _._ _Said_ _he_ _had_ _big_ _plans_ _for_ _me_ _._ _I_ _woke_ _up_ _in_ _the_ _basement,_ _and_ _he_ _started_ _poking_ _me_ _with_ _needles_ _and_ _weird_ _machines_ _._ _I_ _think_ _he_ _wanted_ _blood_ _for_ _tests_ _._ _I_ _was_ _there_ _a_ _long_ _time_ _before_ _he_ _brought_ _in_ _Sparky_ _._ _I_ _was_ _scared_ _of_ _Sparky_ _at_ _first,_ _but_ _then_ _I_ _realized_ _he_ _was_ _a_ _baby_ _like_ _me_ _._ _The_ _Doctor_ _started_ _poking_ _him_ _with_ _stuff,_ _too_ _._ _I_ _-_ _I_ _don’t_ _know_ _what_ _all_ _he_ _did_ _to_ _me,_ _Mr_ _._ _Geoff,_ _but_ _I_ _know_ _he_ _did_ _some_ _stuff_ _with_ _Sparky’s_ _blood,_ _then_ _put_ _it_ _in_ _me_ _._ _Then_ _he_ _elec_ _-_ _elec_ _…_ _shocked_ _me_ _a_ _lot_ _._ _He_ _did_ _it_ _for_ _a_ _long_ _time,_ _Mr_ _._ _Geoff_ _._ _Then_ _he_ _started_ _shocking_ _Sparky_ _to_ _see_ _if_ _he_ _could_ _make_ _him_ _explode_ _._ _Something_ _about_ _a_ _supercharge?_ _I_ _don’t_ _know_ _._ _”_

_Gavin_ _trailed_ _off,_ _starting_ _to_ _shake_ _._ _Geoff_ _gently_ _took_ _him_ _in_ _his_ _arms,_ _shushing_ _him,_ _“I_ _know_ _it’s_ _hard,_ _kid,_ _but_ _I_ _really_ _need_ _to_ _know_ _._ _He_ _did_ _this_ _for_ _three_ _years,_ _right?”_

_He_ _felt_ _Gavin_ _nod_ _against_ _his_ _shoulder,_ _“Yes’ir_ _._ _He_ _also_ _started_ _putting_ _gunpowder_ _in_ _the_ _blood_ _he_ _was_ _giving_ _me_ _._ _I_ _don’t_ _know_ _where_ _he_ _got_ _it_ _from,_ _but_ _it_ _made_ _me_ _throw_ _up_ _a_ _lot_ _…_ _Right_ _before_ _you_ _got_ _there_ _he_ _did_ _something_ _to_ _my_ _insides_ _._ _”_

_Geoff_ _tensed,_ _that_ _monster_ _had_ _done_ surgery _on_ _this_ _kid?_ _!_

_“What_ _did_ _he_ _do_ _to_ _your_ _insides,_ _Gavin?_ _Can_ _I_ _see?”_

_Gavin_ _curled_ _in_ _on_ _himself,_ _pushing_ _away_ _from_ _Geoff’s_ _chest,_ _“He_ _cut_ _me_ _open,”_ _he_ _lifted_ _his_ _shirt,_ _showing_ _Geoff_ _a_ _fairly_ _recent_ _scar—at_ _the_ _most_ _it_ _was_ _six_ _weeks_ _old_ _._ _Geoff_ _felt_ _like_ he _was_ _going_ _to_ _throw_ _up,_ _now_ _._ _He_ _wanted_ _to_ _reach_ _for_ _the_ _suture,_ _to_ _see_ _if_ _it_ _healed_ _properly,_ _but_ _he_ _knew_ _Gavin_ _wouldn’t_ _like_ _that,_ _so_ _he_ _steadied_ _himself_ _._

_“What_ _did_ _he_ _do_ _next,_ _lad?”_

_“He_ _put_ _something_ _in_ _me_ _._ _The_ _thing_ _he_ _got_ _from_ _Sparky_ _._ _His_ _core,_ _I_ _think?_ _That’s_ _how_ _he_ _killed_ _him,_ _Mr_ _._ _Geoff_ _!_ _He_ _put_ _Sparky’s_ _insides_ _in_ _mine_ _!_ _He_ _made_ _me_ _a_ _creeper_ _!_ _I_ _don’t_ _want_ _to_ _be_ _a_ _creeper_ _!_ _They’re_ _monsters_ _!_ _Mr_ _._ _Geoff_ , _I’m_ _a_ _monster_ _!_ _”_

_By_ _now_ _the_ _boy_ _was_ _openly_ _sobbing,_ _screaming_ _about_ _being_ _a_ _monster,_ _and_ _Geoff’s_ _own_ _eyes_ _were_ _burning_ _with_ _unshed_ _tears_ _._ _That_ _monster_ _had_ _ripped_ _the_ _core_ _out_ _of_ _a_ _young_ _creeper_ _and_ _put_ _it_ _in_ _this_ _boy?_ _Along_ _with_ _god_ _knows_ _what_ _else?_ _!_ _Anything_ _could_ _have_ _been_ _in_ _that_ _shit_ _he_ _gave_ _Gavin_ _!_

_He_ _didn’t_ _notice_ _Gavin_ _had_ _slowed_ _his_ _crying_ _while_ _he_ _was_ _lost_ _in_ _thought,_ _“Mr_ _._ _Geoff?”_ _he_ _felt_ _a_ _small_ _hand_ _pat_   _his_ _cheek,_ _“D_ _-_ _daddy?”_

_Geoff’s_ _heart_ _almost_ _stopped,_ _had_ _the_ _kid_ _just_ _…_ _?_

_“Daddy?_ _Is_ _it_ _okay_ _if_ _I_ _call_ _you_ _that?_ _I_ _really_ _need_ _a_ _daddy,_ _Mr_ _._ _Geoff,”_ _Gavin_ _sniffled,_ _still_ _shaking,_ _“Can_ _you_ _mine?_ _Even_ _though_ _I’m_ _a_ _monster?”_

_All_ _Geoff_ _could_ _do_ _was_ _hold_ _his_ _new_ _son_ _closer_ _and_ _nod_ _before_ _beginning_ _to_ _weep_ _._

_“I_ _promise,_ _buddy,_ _I’ll_ _be_ _the_ _best_ _daddy_ _ever_ _and_ _no_ _one_ _will_ _ever_ _hurt_ _you_ _again_ _._ _You’re_ _not_ _a_ _monster_ _._ _You’ll_ _never_ _be_ _a_ _monster_ _._ _”_

_He_ _just_ _wished_ _he_ _would_ _have_ _known_ _then_ _what_ _a_ _lie_ _that_ _was_ _._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WORDS ARE HARD. FUCK.
> 
> Ahem. Anyway, yes, I'm alive, and yes, I'm very incredibly wow so sorry that this took longer than I promised it would. Being an adult does that sometimes. I also rewrote everything to include Jeremy because writing Ray started to feel forced. Shit happens. I know the explanation of just what the doctor did to Gavin is utter crap, but I imagine that someone that young couldn't properly explain intensive scientific experimentation. The next chapter will continue Geoff telling the guys shit, but this chapter got away from me and it would drag on way too much if I shoved it all in in one sitting. Hopefully, it doesn't take as long, but who are we kidding? I'm a terrible updater.
> 
>  
> 
> ~~maybe i'll rewrite this later, too~~


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